The Team No One Talks About

[Pokecheque]

Oh man, so juicy is the drama.

I guess Eric Tulsky had his presser (I do not envy THAT guy) and explained that the logistics involved in getting Rantanen to sign before shipping him off before the clock struck midnight took up so much of their attention and time that it prevented them from making any other moves. Rumor had it they were gunning for Rickard Rakell but that didn't materialize.

So now they have to convince their fanbase that they traded away Martin Necas and Jack Drury for four picks and Logan Stankoven. That doesn't scream "Cup contender" to me.

I just don't see Tulsky signing off on this double trade. It HAD to be a Dundon-ordered move.

[Pokecheque]

MORE drama.

Coach Bod spoke to the press and said Rants showed up and said that there were only four teams he'd sign with, and the Canes weren't one of them. Doesn't sound like either side did much to make it work.

Rantanen is not looking great in this. If Friedman and others are to be believed, the Avs gave Carolina permission to speak to him and his agent, where he said he was amenable to a possible contract extension. BUT, it sounds like Mikko didn't take those calls seriously, thinking it was just a negotiation tactic by Colorado. Next thing he knew, he was headed to Raleigh.

I read Mark Jankowski already equalled Mikko's goal total in Carolina.

Something tells me the welcome Rantanen gets next time the Dallas Stars take on the Carolina Hurricanes won't be friendly.

Honestly, the man had every right to maximize his earnings, this was his one big chance to cash in. BUT, if he indicated to the Canes that he was willing to sign and then immediately showed up saying "Nah bro" then that's kinda fucked up. Oh well, next time another team calls about a contract, take them seriously.

[Chris18]

I heard Brind'Amour said something like the Canes have to find out why they didn't know he wouldn't sign with them before trading for him. Sounded to me like he was throwing the GM under the bus.

[Pokecheque]

I heard Brind'Amour said something like the Canes have to find out why they didn't know he wouldn't sign with them before trading for him. Sounded to me like he was throwing the GM under the bus.

Oh he absolutely was, thing is, it sounds like THEY DID do their due diligence, they did talk to him. If he said he was amenable to a contract extension I don't see how that's Tulsky's fault that he then showed up and gave them the finger.

That said, where I think Tulsky went way wrong is that he did not take into account that Mikko Rantanen just isn't a dump-and-chase guy. And that's pretty much 99.99999999% of how the Canes produce their offense. I read an article Jack Han posted on his Substack just how bad Mikko is at digging for pucks down low (I actually didn't know this, I knew it wasn't a strength but I didn't know he just plain sucked at it) and how he's really built to be that guy who finds open ice for a quick shot on goal. So Dallas should work well for him, but I don't think he'll ever enjoy life as much as he did in Colorado.

The Canes need to take a good, long, hard look in the mirror and decide where they want to go. Right now they have a roster and a coach who just don't seem to know how to utilize elite skill. It's a shame they can't add a prime-era Corey Perry, that's the kind of skill forward who would flourish in their system. But star players who like to operate in open ice just aren't able to do their thing there.

[Chris18]

So did he just say he'd sign there as a way of getting out of CO? Or did he get there and realize their system doesn't work for him at all? Or did he just never really say he'd sign there?

Interesting. Someone will dig for these answers. I'm just glad Carolina got fucked.

[Pokecheque]

So did he just say he'd sign there as a way of getting out of CO? Or did he get there and realize their system doesn't work for him at all? Or did he just never really say he'd sign there?

Interesting. Someone will dig for these answers. I'm just glad Carolina got fucked.

No, the way Elliotte Friedman has posed it on 32 Thoughts a few times, the Avs granted the Canes permission to talk to him, but it doesn't sound like he took their overtures seriously, he thought it was just a negotiation tactic by the Avs, a way to get him and his camp to take a lesser offer. And by all accounts, the trade happened, and Rants was stunned, he had NO idea it was going to happen, took him completely by surprise. In hindsight, it shouldn't have, but it apparently did. So after that, according to Brind'Amour, Rants got off the plane in Raleigh and flat-out said as soon as he met with them that he wasn't signing. Rants said he mulled it over and ultimately decided against it. I have no idea if there's any truth to that, or if Rod the Bod is exaggerating. Rod was pretty specific though, said that Mikko told them in no uncertain terms that there were four teams and four teams only he was signing with. Pagnotta said the list was Dallas, Vegas, Edmonton, and Toronto.

It should be noted that Mikko basically got another $5 million extra simply because he signed in Dallas, because the state taxes there are either really low or nonexistent. Good for him I guess.

[Pokecheque]

My God, even Mikko and his agent are unable to get onto the same page.

Rants' agent went on Sportsnet radio and said that yeah, Carolina reached out but according to him they rebuffed the Canes, said they were focused on staying in Colorado.

HOWEVER, Mikko spoke and said the whole thing about the list of teams is completely false (which totally refused Brind'Amour's account) and that he told Carolina he was open to signing with them, then decided as the deadline neared that a sign-and-trade would be best for all parties.

So...who the fuck even knows anymore. It really feels like Mikko and his agent are scrambling (and not getting their stories straight beforehand!) because he is most definitely persona non grata in Raleigh, and the fans in Colorado probably won't have nice things to say about him when he returns to Ball Arena either.

[Chris18]

My God, even Mikko and his agent are unable to get onto the same page.

Rants' agent went on Sportsnet radio and said that yeah, Carolina reached out but according to him they rebuffed the Canes, said they were focused on staying in Colorado.

HOWEVER, Mikko spoke and said the whole thing about the list of teams is completely false (which totally refused Brind'Amour's account) and that he told Carolina he was open to signing with them, then decided as the deadline neared that a sign-and-trade would be best for all parties.

So...who the fuck even knows anymore. It really feels like Mikko and his agent are scrambling (and not getting their stories straight beforehand!) because he is most definitely persona non grata in Raleigh, and the fans in Colorado probably won't have nice things to say about him when he returns to Ball Arena either.

Well, at least there's an interesting story for us all to follow.

[Pokecheque]

So I guess Tulsky had to clarify things AGAIN, and said, as was expected, that Rod the Bod was being hyperbolic.

That said...it doesn't sound like they actually DID get an indication that he would sign in Carolina before they pulled the trigger on the deal, so that makes Tulsky look kinda bad.

According to him, they reached out to Mikko and his agent, the agent said they were committed to Colorado. They made the trade, Mikko showed up completely flabbergasted and said he needed a minute to process everything, then later said that he wouldn't sign. He did NOT show up and immediately tell them that he'd only play for four teams. That part Brind'Amour was embellishing, but he was apparently right that the Canes did not exactly get a verbal commitment of any sort from Rantanen's camp.

[Pokecheque]

Canes recall 6'4" defenseman Charles-Alexis Legault. And now I have a new Francophone name to say with a really bad French accent, replacing previous placeholders Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond and Jean-Sebastien Aubin.

"Sharrrrl-Alexeeee Legooo"

[E.L.]

Svechnikov and Kotkaniemi on the fourth line. Those guys were supposed to annoy jersey makers in the Triangle with their long names for years to come.

Instead, Svech is banged up and Kk stalled after the offer sheet.